


smoke and mirrors

by mingyas



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Multi, clone!au, ft. keith with white hair, i forgot that i had this on here and ao3 deleted it, its angsty, kuron telling keith things shiro was too scared to say, venting to kuron because of what the galra have done to their identities
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-24
Updated: 2017-10-24
Packaged: 2019-01-05 03:36:35
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,301
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12182130
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mingyas/pseuds/mingyas
Summary: keith regrets not following his suspicions sooner. his galra side spontaneously showing itself isn’t helping.“so i’m fake?”“no, you’re not. you’re just like me.”





	smoke and mirrors

_"Okay team, we need to get that-" Keith starts, clenching his fists subconsciously as the team turns to him, determined looks on their faces. He's... less afraid of what to say now that Shiro's beside him._

_"Here's the plan, everyone-" Shiro cuts him off with practiced ease._

_Both individuals freeze, unsure of what to do._

_The paladins look at both of them, startled. Keith widens his eyes before looking up at Shiro, waiting for him to continue._

_"Oh, I'm sorry. Go ahead, Shiro."_

_Shiro glances at him before continuing without a second thought._

_"We need to get to that comet..."_

It had all happened so suddenly, Keith had nearly forgotten. The mission to get the teludav that turned into much more, the mission that left Keith feeling impossibly small in the pilots seat of the Black Lion. 

_"Keith, what should we do?"_

_"You're going to have to lower your shield, shoot the cargo ship, deal with the consequences."_

_"We can beat this ship first, then get to the cargo ship."_

_"There's not enough time! You need to make a decision!"_

He couldn't let Lotor get that ship, or they were finished. And in that split second moment, it was like Keith was back at the Garrison again. 

That night was the first time that, for a moment, Keith had been... a good leader. Shifting out of that cannon's way was something only _he would do,_ and it hadn't gotten anyone killed. In fact, he'd actually done something  _right._

Shiro had put his arm around his shoulders when he'd gotten back and told him that he was good at this. 

He'd known something was off since that day. There was no way Keith could  _ever_ have that much good luck. 

Still, deep down Keith hoped that maybe...  _maybe_ things were starting to change for the better. 

...He wasn't expecting this.

\---

They're both on the training deck when he notices, sparring with the different gladiator levels that Coran has recently updated for him. Keith normally prefers sparring with the gladiator alone, but when Shiro walks in, looking more well-rested than he has in eons, he can't help it but smile.

The pair have tag-teamed for years when it comes to sparring - Keith with his agility, Shiro with his strength and skill. They know each other's fighting styles by heart. Back at the Garrison, when he was some scruffy cadet that insisted on fighting  _everything_ , Shiro gave him an outlet and decided to train him. Even during the busiest castle days, Shiro would sometimes come up to see him as he battled different rounds, giving him feedback about his stance and form afterwards. He always marveled at how such a seemingly peaceful person could _fight_ like that, until Shiro returned from space as the Champion, sickened by the thought of his own body. 

So when Shiro steps in with his bayard, Keith knows something's up.

"Thought maybe we could try something different." Shiro says, warily eyeing the weapon in his hand before placing it into his Galran arm. It morphs into an energy blade, glowing a deep purple that makes the hair on the back of Keith's neck stand on edge.

"Shiro," he starts quietly, "What's wrong with your arm?"

"Huh? Oh, it's been acting up since I got back from that Galra ship." He looks at his hand and frowns. "I'm not exactly sure what they did with it."

An awkward silence settles between them - it's the first time Shiro's mentioned what had happened to him since Keith had found him clinging to life in the escape pod. 

"I'm fine, Keith," Shiro says with a smile, reaching out to put his arm - his _Galran_ arm - against Keith's shoulder. "Don't worry about it."

Keith shivers against the cold metal, wiping the sweat from his forehead. 

"Keith?" he asks, too calmly, "Are you alright?"

The younger boy snaps out of it. 

"Yeah. Let's go."

As soon as the gladiator emerges from beneath them, he can feel Shiro tense up with anticipation. 

"I go right, you go left?" Shiro asks, but it's barely a question as the gladiator swings its staff towards them, slicing the ground where they were standing just seconds before.

Keith swings his bayard at the robot's now exposed backside, but suddenly a mechanical leg is swinging at him at full speed. There's a sound of energy pulsating as Shiro meets it with his glowing sword, and he can't help but grin. It feels good to do this again.

He ducks under the two beings and slices at the gladiator's torso, sending sparks flying. As the robot brings his arms up to raise its staff, Shiro brings his sword down around its shoulder blades, electricity surging through his forearms as the glow illuminates his Galran arm. 

Keith smiles to himself. It's really been too long.

Shiro must be thinking the same thing, because suddenly he's spinning around, aiming to take the gladiator with him. He's a second too slow for Keith to get out of his way, however, and a quick swing from the metal staff is enough to send him flying. 

He hits the ground heavily as Keith's bayard scrapes across the gladiator, his own weapon disappearing into light. 

"Shiro!" he shouts over his shoulder, his arms shaking under the sudden added weight of the gladiator. 

"End simulation!"

"Shiro, are you okay?!"

"I'm fine," he says, wincing as he gets up onto his side. "Guess I really was out for a long time."

 _You have no idea,_ Keith thinks to himself.

"We can get you into a pod, if you want. Should heal up those bruises in no time."

 "I'll be fine," Shiro says with a small smile. "Don't worry." 

Keith nudges at the staff resting on the floor as the light on the gladiator's helmet powers down. 

"This is why _I_ always go right," Keith mutters softly, looking Shiro in the eyes before casting them towards the ground.

Time seems to slow down as he watches the Black Paladin's eyes flicker for a moment in surprise before softening.

"Guess I just wanted to try something new."

He's lying.

Keith hopes it was just some side-effect of his delirious escape pod state, they'd  _just_ gotten the team back together, _he needs him back so much._

But he was never one for good luck.

"Keith? Are you okay?"

"Shiro, what did they do to you on that ship?"

"Keith-"

"Answer me," he says, wiping the sweat off of his forehead. 

_Please._

"I don't know, Keith. Believe me, if I did I would tell you. But I just  _can't_ , alright?" He looks as if he's fighting back... _anger,_ and Keith raises his eyebrows in concern. He's never seen Shiro like this, not since he'd first crash-landed back on Earth all those months ago.

"I trust you, Shiro. But we _need_ to figure this out."

"I... I don't _remember_."

"Okay," Keith breathes. "Maybe just... start with what you do remember? We'll make the rest work, I promise." He rests a hand on Shiro's shoulder gently for support. 

"I..." Shiro's eyes soften. "I'll try." 

"We were all still fighting Zarkon when it happened. I was in the Black Lion's hangar, activating the bayard, and then... everything went black. I thought I was losing consciousness, but I was awake." 

"Was it like that astral plane you mentioned before? Where you fought Zarkon for control?"

"No, it felt different. He wasn't in my head, but... it was like someone else _was,_ and they were just waiting." 

"I don't know what they did to me, Keith. I'll  _never_ know. I _can't_ explain to you how that feels-"

"I know how it feels to not know anything. Shiro, I-" He bites his lip, shrinking further into himself. "The barrier, back then, I tried to-"

Shiro's eyes widen. "Keith..."

"It's just that I had been with the Blade for so long, and you know, victory or..." 

He can't even bring himself to say it. The team had been doing so well without him, Lance had even warned him about having one paladin too many, and-

Keith's thoughts are interrupted by Shiro draping an arm across his shoulders, and he leans into it voluntarily like they were kids again. 

"I know that the Blades are different. You've got to remember that they've been operating for thousands of years, and those people are willing to lose their lives when they fight."

"Why shouldn't I?"

"You're still a paladin of Voltron, Keith. The universe needs you."

 _The Marmora can go on without you. Voltron cannot. We cannot._  

Allura's words echo through his mind, an afterthought that forces him to speak. 

"The Galra. My family. Everything."

"They took away everything, and I don't remember a bit of it. Who my mom was, when she gave me this-" he pulls out his blade to study it, his gaze crestfallen. He places it next to Shiro's metallic arm, eyeing the two wistfully.

"Not everything," he murmurs. "They didn't take away everything."

Shiro grins. "Guess not."

\---

Lance is _so_ loud.

Keith's normally able to tune it out, but with Shiro still on his mind, he can't. What did he mean by the fact that he'd never be able to find out what happened to him on that ship? Why couldn't he fight with his arm?

He hears the sound of his own name and snaps out of it.

"Huh?"

"I said, 'Earth to mullet'." Lance snarks at him, and Keith finds that he still has it in him to roll his eyes.

"What is it?"

"Ever since you came back downstairs you've had that look on your face. And I know you, so I know that it's not a nice look. What's up?"

Keith looks at him warily, before sighing. He could just tell him. This was what friends were for, right?

"It's Shiro," he starts, not looking Lance in the eye. "He's been... acting strangely since he got back."

"He  _looks_ different," Lance says aloud, crossing his arms defensively as Keith looks at him, impatient.

"What?! His haircut for one - _he looks like Buzz Lightyear_ \- and just... his mannerisms, I guess?" 

"Who's Buzz Lightyear?"

"Dude, you've never watched Toy Story? You know, the whole _'There's a snake in my boot!'_ and all that?"

When Keith looks at him blankly, Lance throws his hands up into the air in exasperation.

"That's it! We're having a movie night up in here someday. I'll ask Pidge." 

" _Anyways_ ," Keith continues. "I don't know what to do."

"Well, last time he came back from space with cool battle scars and this motivation to make the universe a better place. Now, he just seems lost."

He looks up at Lance, who raises an eyebrow all too knowingly at him. 

"It's like he's a whole different person."

"You could always look at some of the records we have towards the Galra and experimentation. I'm sure Pidge, Hunk, or Allura could help you out with that if you asked." 

 --- 

 

It was an accident. 

Keith's patrolling the halls after catching up with Kolivan, his heart racing with the new intel that the Marmora have found. It's one file, enough to send him racing back to say goodbye.

Naxzela. 

"Shiro?" he calls into the hallway, unable to hide the guilt in his voice. He'd just gotten back, and there was already  _so_ much that they needed to talk about. 

_He's missed it all._

Then he spots him. 

" _Please, stop!_ " the older man yells, pressing his hands against his ears. He doesn't seem to notice that Keith is there, illuminated by nothing more than the faint green and purple glow of the chamber. 

_"Get... out of my head!"_

Is he dreaming? Who the _hell_ is Shiro talking to?

" _Keith... please..._ " he pants, his eyes widening in fear. " _G-go away..._ "

This isn't a dream. It's a _nightmare._

"Hey, hey. It's okay. It's just me." 

Shiro snaps out of it and suddenly it's like all those years ago, except the roles are reversed and Keith isn't the one shaken to his core.  

"Shiro, I don't know what's happening right now, but you need to fight it, okay?" He grabs onto his friend's shoulders, his touch gentle. "We can fix this, let me just get you to Allura and Cor-"

"No! Please, j-just _don't._ " 

Even in his feverish state, he isn't _stupid_ , so when Keith's fingers accidentally brush against his dagger, Shiro's eyes darken slightly. 

"Shiro... I know it isn't you."

Shiro's eyes come together in worry as his smile fades.

"Keith, what?" 

His voice is so innocent it makes Keith sick to his stomach.

He takes a step forward, and Shiro - no, the  _stranger_ \- takes a step back.

"I said, I know it isn't you, Shiro."

It sounds so _absurd,_ but Keith continues anyways. Things are starting to come together in his mind now. Sure, he's been away from the Castle for some time now, but Shiro had never acted like this before, even after Kerberos. 

"I don't know what you're talking about." Shiro says, his confidence wavering as concern flashes over his face. "But we can talk this out, Keith, please-"

He sees Shiro make a grab for the black bayard and kicks at it so that it's far away from both of them.

"Keith, I'm telling you the truth!"

"Stop  _lying_ to me! Please, just get in the pod!" Keith yells, his hand resting protectively over his dagger. Some part of him is hoping that he'll listen to him. Another part of him knows that he won't. 

"I _covered_ for you, Shiro! For  _weeks! In front of everyone!_ " 

_I lied straight to their faces._

"Keith, why can't you just let this go? There's nothing wrong with me. Why would there be?"

"I never gave you the Black Bayard."

Time seems to slow down as Shiro stands up, towering over Keith as he slowly rises to his feet.

"You couldn't pilot Black until right before I left. How could I have given it to you?"

He picks up the weapon before slicing through it with his dagger, watching as it splits in two. 

"It's fake, Shiro. Where did this _come from?_ " 

For a split second, Shiro looks at him like he's about to answer, before his entire body shivers and he's gone. It isn't like before. 

Shiro looks right through him.

" _They_ don't know you like I do, you _know_ that! So why try? Did the Galra send you to mess with me? What the hell did they do to you?" 

" _Everything,_ " Shiro manages to get out, his voice strained. He's trembling now, clutching his arm as if he's trying to rip it off, his eyes scanning the floor for his bayard. 

Keith gestures with his left arm and it materializes in his hand, instead. He's so upset that he doesn't notice a certain paladin standing in the hallway.

"I read about it," he continues, pocketing the bayard as he pulls his Marmora blade from behind him. "Operation Kuron, everything."

 

Shiro eyes the blade and him all too-knowingly before letting out a dark chuckle. His pupils are starting to glow yellow now, and when he opens his mouth the voice that comes out is too ragged and sharp to be his own.

_"Then you should know that you're on the wrong side of the war."_

His mechanical arm glows purple, and Shiro swings directly at the Red Paladin's face. 

Keith ducks out of the way, and suddenly he knows its for real. He reaches up with his fists, knocking Shiro's jaw with the hilt of his dagger. It barely leaves a mark.

Shiro rubs at his jaw as if in thought. "Aw, how cute. Getting a little merciful, aren't we Keith?"

His blade glows at the same time Shiro's bayard leaves his side, both pieces of alien metal scraping off of each other as the two of them snarl. Shiro's stronger, though, and no matter how much Keith tries he can't hold this forever.

"You _have_ to fight it!" he screams, his arms shaking with pure exertion. "This isn't y-"

Shiro shoves the blade aside and lifts Keith off the ground by his throat, cutting him off.

_"Yes it is, half-breed."_

His shock lends him extra adrenaline as he struggles out of Shiro's grip, his arms flailing helplessly as he kicks and  _kicks-_

 _Shiro would never hurt me._ He reminds himself, looking into the Black Paladin's pained eyes for something,  _anything_ -

 _But these eyes don't belong to Shiro,_ he realizes as he stares into their deep yellow glow, a foreign voice creeping into his brain as he gasps for breath.

_They belong to you, Keith._

There's a blast of white light and suddenly Shiro crumples to the ground, his face contorting in pain. Keith's bayard manifests itself in seconds as he spins in the direction of the bullet, his head spinning. 

_"LANCE-"_

"It's okay," Lance pants, running over to him. "It was just a tranq. He'll be fine."

The lifeless body of his mentor lays in front of him, and Keith fights the urge to retch. Lance is already kneeling down, feeling for his pulse. His closes his eyes and sighs in relief before looking up at Keith, his gaze still somewhat frantic.

"I can't believe I just shot Takashi Shirogane."

The paladin shivers at the name before shaking his head. 

"That isn't him."

\---

"What happened?"

"Shiro went crazy so I knocked him out into a cryo-pod."

"What the quiznak?" Lance yelps, falling into pace with him. " _Keith_ , what did you _do?!_ "

"It was the safest option at the time, alright?! _Calm down_."

" _Calm down?_ What are _we_ going to do?!" Lance asks frantically, but Keith just trudges through the hallway in silence, ignoring him.

"Keith, we have to tell the others. _Keith!_ "

God, was he always this loud?

" _I know!_ " Keith shouts. His voice lowers suddenly, looking at Lance apologetically. "I just need to think about it for a second."

"How did you even know I was there?"

Lance raises an eyebrow.

"What? Oh, Red started going nuts in my head. I could feel her warning me that something was up, and bam. Suddenly she just showed me."

"She... she can do that?"

"Yeah, I had that feeling with Blue, too. I thought everyone could do it. Something about the matching quintessence we have with our lions and all that."

The pair walk alongside quietly for a few more minutes until they reach the Bridge. 

"I dunno, man. It's just... remember what Coran told us about the original paladins?"

"What about them?"

"This is starting to seem awfully familiar."

Keith can't take it. He's had enough with the doubt, especially now coming from Lance of all people. He should understand Keith's reasoning. Shiro - his clone, whatever the hell he was - nobody saw it coming. 

_Except him._

"Are you saying-" he spins around to look at his friend, who flinches at his glare. Keith hates him for it, hates how it  _makes sense._ Both were manipulated by quintessence. And Zarkon never remembered who he was before it happened, just like Shiro never remembered being the Champion-

It doesn't help that Keith is half-Galran, either. In fact, it probably makes him even more perceptible to Haggar's magic, e _specially if it came through the Black Paladin,_ he realizes with a snarl. Lance seems to register that he's stepped a bit too far when Keith goes a little too quiet.

"Keith, I'm not trying to say-" Lance says quickly, holding up his hands defensively. 

"I'm not going to  _become that!_ " Keith shouts, slamming his fists onto his monitor. "Just because I'm part-Galran doesn't mean..." his throat aches suddenly, because he doesn't even know if it's true anymore. 

"We just need to be careful, okay?" Lance continues softly, raising his eyebrows at Keith's distraught expression in concern. 

"I'm sorry, that just came out really badly..."

"I'm not even supposed to be the leader," he croaks, staring at anywhere but Lance. Either way, Keith had no way out. Even after ten thousand years, months of training and battles, defeating Zarkon... nothing had changed. The Black Paladin had become corrupt and the Red Paladin had refused to see it until it was too late.

Keith fucked up. The one person he trusted more than anyone in the world had lied straight to his face, and he fucked it up. 

Some leader he was. 

"Keith, you know that's not what I meant. Nobody's asking you to be the leader that Shiro was."

"Like _our_ Shiro was," Lance adds sternly.

He takes a breath, and Keith unclenches his fists.

"And we'll figure this Galran thing out, eventually. He was just saying that stuff to rile you up."

 _Well, it worked,_ Keith snorts to himself.

"Just because I'm the original Red Paladin doesn't _mean_ that I'm going to make Alfor's mistake." 

He hates how weak he sounds, how broken and vulnerable he must look.

"I know you won't, Keith. I know." Lance's calm attitude is only making Keith feel worse. He doesn't need this right now. 

"I need to think," he says gruffly before stomping out of the room.

Eventually, he tells Allura and the others before anyone decides to use the training deck. Although they look concerned, they rush Shiro off to a cryo-pod to keep him safe. Keith is left alone with his thoughts, which are... too much to handle all at once.

He finds himself in front of Lance's door before the night is over and knocks. 

\---

"You were right."

Lance doesn't even bother to raise an eyebrow at Keith stomps into his room, making a beeline for his bed.

"Usually am." he says nonchalantly, eyeing the boy up and down as he adjusts his pillow under his arm.

If you had told Lance a few months ago that he'd be confiding in Keith, he would've laughed in your face and probably reach for his Bayard. 

Yet here they were, weeks later, talking to each other. As non-rivals. Neither one of them could've ever anticipated the grief and overwhelming insecurity that hit them after Shiro went missing. After Lance started going to Keith for help as the "leader", he learned how to return the favor. They'd been doing so ever since.

"Are you okay, man? You look like you haven't slept in deca-phoebs."

Keith yawns for an answer and sinks into the mattress with a soft sigh, cradling the blankets around him.

"Bless Altean sleep-tech."

"Amen." 

A comfortable silence spreads between them until Keith turns onto his back, gazing up at the ceiling.

"So I guess I'm secretly King Alfor. Or just as gullible as he was, anyways."

"I thought you were half-Galra?"

He stares up at the ceiling briefly before turning to face Lance.

"Guess I'll just become Lotor, then." 

He runs his fingers through his hair and puts on the best British accent he can muster.

"Oh, Blue Paladin of Voltron-"

Lance bursts into laughter and Keith grins a little, somehow feeling more awake than he was seconds ago. It was good to see Lance like this, again. It hits him with an odd thought that had they not been in this situation, he probably wouldn't even get to know Lance at all.

The other boy is still giggling when he suddenly stops and looks at Keith, his piercing blue eyes following his face all-too knowingly. 

"W-what?"

"Keith Kogane. Is in my room. And he's making jokes. Who are you and what have you done with Keith Kogane?"

Keith has half the mind to mutter, "A clone," before suddenly Lance is sitting at the side of his bed, tossing something to him.

"It's candy," Lance says, noting the confused look on Keith's face. "From Earth. Always carry some with me."

Keith mumbles a "thanks" before sinking his teeth into it. He was expecting something like saltwater taffy - Lance would like that, probably - but is instead greeted with a burst of mango flavors. He hums contentedly and Lance laughs.

"Good, right?"

"Oh my god, yes."

"You know, back then, Blaytz and Alfor were friends, right?"

Keith looks at him and nods, his mouth still full.

"Why didn't that happen to us?"

"Because you insisted on hating me." He rolls his eyes and mimics Lance. "You were always so... 'Lance and _Keith_ , neck and neck'-"

"Wh- you forgot I existed!" Lance places his hands over his chest as if he's been wounded before flopping onto his back dramatically. Keith fights off a smile, he can practically feel the other boy pouting. It's oddly endearing, the other paladin's fascination with him. He doesn't get it, but he appreciates it. Even if he was a rival, it was nice to know that someone other than Shiro had noticed him all those years. 

"I was in your class for a whole year, Keith! A whole year!"

Keith shrugs, feigning disinterest. "And I should've cared, because...?"

Lance's head raises up from where he's laying in disbelief and Keith grins at him.

"Kidding."

He stretches, arching his back slightly as he turns over.

"It wasn't personal. The Garrison was a weird place for me. I just concentrated on my flying, not the people around me." _Although maybe I should've._ Keith sneaks a glance at Lance, who is looking at his feet absently, nodding.

"Shiro took me under his wing, and that was that."

"You care about him a lot, don't you?"

When Keith doesn't answer at first, Lance sighs.

"Then you need to go talk to him. When he gets out of that cryo-pod." 

"What am I supposed to say? I don't _know_ him," Keith realizes, his heart sinking. It's true. He looks like Shiro, talks like him, moves like him, _breathes like him-_ but Keith's never felt more like an outsider in his entire life. 

And if Keith didn't know Shiro, then who was he supposed to be?


End file.
